Hazelwood Reassures Parents of School Building Safety After Moore, Okla. Tornado

Two elementary schools leveled by the deadly tornado that swept through the Oklahoma City area Monday are said to have lacked designated safe rooms for children and teachers, according to the Huffington Post.

An emergency official said more than 100 Oklahoma schools have storm shelters for children, but Briarwood Elementary and Plaza Towers Elementary—where seven children were killed as they sheltered in above-ground classrooms—did not, according to The Denver Channel.

At least two other schools in City of Moore, which is the epicenter of the disaster, did have safe rooms. Fatalities have been tied to those schools, whose buildings were fortified after a tornado devastated the area in 1999. This week's tornado followed the same path of that tornado more than a decade ago, according to the Moore American, the cities local news outlet.

This news, along with the fact residents in the cities of Hazelwood and Florissant are still picking up the pieces after last month's April 10 EF-2 tornado,  may have prompted the Hazelwood School District (HSD) to release a statement reassuring parents of safety throughout.

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In an email blast HSD Superintendent Grayling Tobias sent to parents, sorrow was expressed for people in Moore.

"We are all extremely saddened by the tornado that swept through the Oklahoma area on Monday," Tobias said. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who have been impacted by the tornado and our sympathy goes out to the families who have lost loved ones, especially the families of the children, who attended the Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Oklahoma."

Tobias went on to mention human nature of relating tragedies to every day life.

"During times like this, it is only natural to think of our own children," he said. "As educators, we think of our students and what we are doing every day to make sure they are safe.

"Please be assured that safety is the number one priority of the Hazelwood School District."

Tobias said there are multiple safety measures in place to help reduce or prevent the effects of tragedies; however, he also said no one can be totally prepared for a natural disaster.

"With that in mind, we will continue to re-examine and review all of our procedures as we move forward," he said.

Some safety measures for disasters Tobias mentioned include things the district has had in place before last month's tornado like:

• Partnerships with local police and fire departments. 
• Staffing high schools and middle schools with full-time school police officers.
• Staffing counselors and social workers to help students who may be experiencing a sense of fear.

Still, no St. Louis area schools have safe rooms, according to the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency. This is based on records for federal funds which show now rooms have been built in the St. Louis area using federal hazard mitigation money.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will foot-the-bill for 75 percent of the cost if school districts or local governments successfully apply for funding to construct safe rooms. For Missouri applicants, the grants are funded through the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency.

For tips on talking to children about tragedy and grief visit this link on HSD's website.